House Bill: The Department of Peace Resolution (Failed)

[Representative simossad]

I can understand both sides of the aisle. It is true that, on the one hand, it seems redundant to create a special department for activities that are already being exercised by two major departments. An overlapping of competences could lead to problems that are unforseen. On the other hand, I believe that it is a noble goal to have a new focus on circumstances that are being ignored today. I don't want this very important and necessary aim to fail in this house, and therefore I propose an amendment that addresses the concerns of the opposition, implementing a special commissioner instead of a whole new department.

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[Representative simossad]

I formally introduce NeverAgain's amendment to the floor as a representative.

[Representative simossad]

I think it's obvious that the debate on this is poisoned and that very few remarks on this are actually about the actual topic of this bill -- which is to create a special commissioner whose only duty is to report whether the atmosphere in both the world and our country is peaceful or not and to work together with the two major departments that are having an impact on this situation. That is how I understand the bill after the amendment.

It is great that we are having debates again in this house. It is great that we discuss on the issues that matter. But, as someone who supports the idea and proposed an extra amendment to clarify the doubts on this mentioned by the house majority, I have to remind both sides of the aisle that a debate which is becoming more and more personal keeps the other representatives away from this and makes an issue-based, rational decision impossible. I therefore ask both participants to soften their language and to come back to the core of this issue. We are here to have fun after all, but that does not alienate even our own house members from involving in their duties.

Coming back to the issue itself, I can understand the concerns being raised by my fellow representative, and I must admit that I do share parts of his judgement. I also do have the reservation that creating another office within the executive may lead to a situation in which competences are being claimed by multiple instances, and that there may be other cases in which the responsibility for other taskes may be negated by one department and the commissioner. The lines are very soft and unclear. That matches with the redundancy Leinard has mentioned.

But I do strongly believe that when these concerns compete with the current situtation, that we have growing tensions in both our country and in the world and that no authority in this county seems to commit oneself to the most important task a government has to fulfil, which is peacekeeping, then it is clear that I do not even spend a minute evaluating whether that is a good bill or not. I do not negate that some parts of this bill are redundant, as Leinard said, but the truth is that these tasks are not being fulfilled at the moment, and this is the reason why I support that office. I also understand the special commissioner of peace as a body exercising control over the peacekeeping activities of the executive, and that the peace report can be understood as a feedback for the executive on their activities on peace. As the governor has correctly stated: in a time in which our global peace is on stake, we have to take action and to remind ourselves that the world is not as safe as we thought it is.

[Representative simossad]

Yes, I motion for a final vote.

[Representative simossad]

Aye